The
earliest photograph of the Tribes' Board of Trustees
is this one
taken in 1951 of Arnold Lavadour and Steve Hall, standing, and
seated, left to right, Elias Quaempts, Anna Wannassay, Edgar Forrest,
Louis McFarland, David Liberty and Richard Burke. Courtesy of the
Tomastslikt Cultural Institute

We, the people of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in the State of
Oregon, do hereby ordain and establish this Constitution and Bylaws.

ARTICLE I — NAME

The tribal organization shall be called the "Confederated
Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation", and shall
include Indians of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla Tribes.

ARTICLE II -- PURPOSE

The purpose and powers of the Confederated Tribes shall be,
within law, to exercise and protect all existing and future
tribal rights arising from any source whether treaty, federal
statute, state statute, common law, or otherwise; to achieve
a maximum degree of self-government in all tribal affairs;
and to protect and promote the interests of the Indians of
the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

APPROVAL

This Constitution and Bylaws, having been proposed and duly
ratified by the adult voters of the Confederated Tribes of
the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Oregon, on November 4, 1949,
at a referendum called by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs,
is herewith approved.

William E. Warne, Assistant Secretary of the
Interior
Washington D.C., December 7, 1949

These ceremonial tribal chiefs are descendents of past
tribal leaders (or headmen) of the Umatilla,Cayuse and
Walla Walla people, representing the CTUIR in the historic
style of dress, known as "regalia".

"It is but fifty years since the first
white man came among you, those were Lewis
and Clark who came down the Big River —
the Columbia. Next came Mr. Hunt and his party,
then came the Hudson Bay Co. who were traders.
Next came missionaries; these were followed
by emigrants with wagons across the plains;
and now we have a good many settlers in the
country below you.

"Who can say that this is mine and that
is yours? The white man will come to enjoy
these blessings with you; what shall we do
to protect you and preserve peace? There are
but few whites here now, there will be many,
let us like wise men, act so as to prevent
trouble" (General Palmer: 1855 Treaty).

"As long as we are diligent in protecting our treaty rights
and interests, we will survive and prosper" (Himéeqis
Káa'awn -Antone Minthorn). We are adaptive to the forces
of change. Since the formal establishment of our land base,
a new
political consciousness
has emerged among our people.

"Now we are a sovereign nation. We have always sought to
protect our treaty rights, homelands, and cultural lifeways.
Throughout our history, our men and women leaders have always
responded to the most vital questions of our time.

"By the 1940's, our leaders forged a clear path for
our future by bringing into existence a new system of governance.
Today, as in times past, our Tribal leaders are guiding us
into the 21st century" (Tomastslikt Cultural Institute exhibit).

"What I'm saying is sovereignty, and I think
as you look at history, you look at the development of
that, is an esoteric word. It's abstract. Too often
it's used just in rhetoric. I think of younger people
who would have been children of mine need to understand
what that is about. The word is empty when it's
used in the rhetoric, in the halls and in the conflicts
with non-Indians and the conflicting jurisdictions. Sovereignty
is an exercise of tribal government and the related part
of that is you are not part of that sovereignty unless
you are a member of that tribe. It's not an individual
attribute. An individual can't be sovereign" (Ron
Halfmoon: Convocation 2000).

Today the Tribes attempt to rebuild the economy mostly through
gambling and tourism. Places like Tamastslikt Cultural Institute
help to carry on the culture and history of the Plateau Indians.
The Three Confederated Tribes work to balance the demands
of society with the need to maintain plants and animals in
their homeland.

Columbia River Dams

The creation of dams along the Columbia in the 20th
century flooded ancient fishing and gathering spots
and dented the Plateau Indian culture further. And
irrigation systems for farming had practically dried
some rivers, like the Umatilla.

Now, after a 70 year absence, salmon populations have been revived
in the Umatilla River in northeastern Oregon. For eight of
the past eleven years, enough fish have bypassed the dams
and returned to provide a salmon fishing season for both Indian
and non-Indian residents. Even though the dams along the Columbia
were responsible for the destruction of an Indian way of life
(to people here, salmon are a cultural as well as a natural
resource), the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian
Reservation and local farmers and irrigators have successfully
worked together to restore salmon and maintain the agricultural
economy of the area.